Jones Creek, Lower Talkington and Lower Paddock Loop Hiking Guide
This is the South Unit's classic full-day loop and one the park itself lays out: up Jones Creek, across on the Lower Talkington, and back down Lower Paddock Creek. You get creek bottoms, open benches and a good chance of bison and wild horses, with the scenic road never far away if you need an exit.
Permit: All Theodore Roosevelt National Park visitors need an entrance pass: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 per hiker or cyclist 16 and over, each for 7 days. The $55 park annual pass and America the Beautiful passes are accepted; payment is cashless. Backcountry camping requires a free permit from the South Unit Visitor Center.
Distance and Start
The park gives the loop as 11.4 miles and 6 to 8 hours. Hiking Project's version is 11.8 miles with about 509 feet of climbing, because it starts at the Peaceful Valley Ranch parking area and adds the CCC Trail as a connector. Hiking Project notes the ranch dates to the 1880s and ran as a dude ranch from 1918 into the 1930s. Peaceful Valley is on the Scenic Loop Drive north of Medora. The park adds that you can join this loop to the Upper Paddock and Talkington loop for a 23.4-mile day.
Route Notes
Hiking Project's description runs northeast on the CCC Trail for about a mile, crosses the paved road, and follows Jones Creek about 2.5 miles to the Lower Talkington junction, a good lunch stop. The Lower Talkington goes southeast for 1.8 miles, the Badlands Spur leads south toward the road, and the Lower Paddock Creek Trail heads back northwest for about 3.6 miles to a lot, with a gravel road back to Peaceful Valley. Bison snap off trail posts, and game trails branch everywhere, so carry the park map.
Bison, Horses and Snakes
Expect to share the loop with bison, the South Unit's feral horses and horseback riders, who have the right of way. If an animal is on the trail, step well off and give it at least 25 yards; the park suggests the rule of thumb, holding up your thumb at arm's length to see whether it covers the animal. Prairie rattlesnakes are the park's one venomous snake. Mind your step around rocks and burrows.
Fees, Permits and Dogs
You enter through the Medora entrance station, where a weekly car pass is $30, and the park has taken only cards and mobile payments since May 2026. Day hikes need no permit. To camp out, get the free backcountry permit; sites must be a quarter mile from roads and trailheads, and no fires are allowed. Pets, bikes and motorized equipment are not allowed anywhere in the backcountry.
Water and Season
Hiking Project's contributor notes very little shade and no reliable water. The park says no backcountry water source is certified safe to drink, so carry everything, about a liter an hour per person. Spring and fall are the right seasons. Summer highs run in the 80s and can reach the 90s, and storms come up fast. After rain the clay trail can be all but impassable.
Hiking tips for Jones Creek, Lower Talkington and Lower Paddock Loop
- Carry the park's trail map; bison break the posts and paths branch off.
- Pack water for the whole day; there are no safe sources on the loop.
- Step aside for horseback riders, who have the right of way.
- Ask at the South Unit Visitor Center about trail conditions after rain.
- Get a free backcountry permit if you plan to camp.
Nearby trails to explore
- Painted Canyon Trail (Theodore Roosevelt National Park)
- Petrified Forest Loop (Theodore Roosevelt National Park)
- Wind Canyon Trail (Theodore Roosevelt National Park)
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Eleven miles of South Unit backcountry is a full day, and the miles pass easier in a group. Plan it in TrailMates, trade water and timing notes in the event's group chat, and meet at Peaceful Valley Ranch to start together. Download TrailMates on the App Store or Google Play.